Life Cycle of a Highlight: 10 years later, Bret Eddins reflects on the most visually effective sack in Auburn history

Will Auburn fans be able to audit “Form Tackling 101” before football games this season?

It’s been ten years since Bret Eddins achieved Auburn immortality with what was arguably the most visually effective sack in Auburn history.

You’ve seen it a million times, in virtually every Auburn entrance or “historical hype” video of the past decade. Eddins, a defensive end, makes it around the tackle (who was denied his blocking angle after being bumped by LSU’s tight end) and absolutely waylays Marcus Randal in the third quarter of Auburn’s season-defining 2004 win over Nick Saban’s LSU.

Eddins says he just happened to be the guy in the right place at the right time.

“It felt like I was moving really fast and I go back and watch it and I’m like, ‘man, I was not as quick as I thought I was,” Eddins says.

“It’s neat to see it, but what really made it is the camera angle. It was no great play by me, I just ran and hit the guy. But the camera angle made it look much more special.”

Thanks to a vantage point behind the line of scrimmage, Eddins looks like he’s coming off the ropes to clothes line some no-name weakling the WWF pitted against the Ultimate Warrior for Main Event filler. He crushes him, lands on him. It’s violent and brutal, but as a highlight clip in the post-Cam, post-Kick Six era, has it run its course?

“I keep expecting every year for it to be taken off (the hype video),” Eddins says. “Especially after all the highlights Gus and everybody gave us last year.”

Living the Highlight: Eddins, watching his “OH BIG HIT!!!” for the first time.

Over the weekend Auburn asked its Facebook followers “What historical Auburn highlights should definitely be included in the 2014 inspiration video?”

In the hundreds of comments, Eddins’ name doesn’t appear. These days, the sacks people want to see—or at least feel like they need to request—are the legacies of last names like Fairley and Ford, and on quarterbacks like McElroy, Murray, and Manziel.

If Eddins doesn’t make the cut this year, if his sack doesn’t get to celebrate its 10th Jumbotron anniversary, then hey, War Eagle.

I think part of the problem is not many realize who made that hit. I didn’t remember it being from the 2004 game or who made the sack. I’m sure people know the sack and would recognize it, but don’t know the details of who was involved in order to include it.

This needs to make it at least one more year. I guess it’s been easy to forget exactly how important _every_ single play in that game was considering the crazy past few years. This tackle is iconic and I hope it stays around much longer.

Awesome play, never forget that one. It should definitely stay on the highlight reel. What made it better was that Tuberville used the Defensive Ends differnently, in his scheme there was a Power End and a Quick End. Eddins played the Power, which meant his was like a 3rd Defensive Tackle 90% of the time. The Quick was the the End that was supposed to get upfield and after the QB. Quicks under Tuberville included: Reggie Torbor, Stanley McClover, Quentin Groves, and Antonio Coleman. Those were the guys to get most of the publicity, so for Eddins to make such a critical play in such a big game from that position makes it even better.

Even though it wasn’t a sack, Dee Ford’s hit on Aaron Murray to end the game last year had to be the best ever – absolute bone shaker!!!! Kudos to Murray who stood behind the hit as dawg fans moaned about it.

The hit was fantastic, but I also LOVE the way Bret just trotted off the field as the stadium went nuts. No hot dogging, dancing, or taunting, just make your play and hustle off and celebrate with your teammates on the sideline. Class act and Auburn man. WDE!